Exorcising memories of internalised stigma: The demons of lived experience

• 作者: Joanna Ruth Fox
• 来源期刊: 世界精神病学杂志
• 学科: 文学
• 关键词: STIGMA User-led narrative REFLEXIVITY EMPOWERMENT Recovery Mental health
• 年，卷（期）: 2021,（3）
• 页码范围: 63-72
• 页数: 10页
• 分类号: H31

摘要

Public stigma and self-stigma impact negatively on the lives of people with mental health issues.Many people in society stereotype and discriminate against people with mental ill-health,and often this negative process of marginalisation is internalised by people with lived experiences.Thus,this negative internalisation leads to the development of self-stigma.In this article,I reflect on my own experiences of shame and self-stigma as a person with mental ill-health socially bullied by peers from my community and social groups.I present a personal narrative of both public and self-stigmatisation which I hope will enable me to exorcise memories of internalised stigma,which are encountered as my demons of lived experience.Using reflexivity,a process used widely in health and social care fields,I consider how social bullying shattered my fragile confidence,selfesteem,and self-efficacy in the early days of my recovery;the impact of associative stigma on family members is also explored.Following this,the potential to empower people who experience shame and stigma is explored alongside effective anti-stigma processes which challenge discrimination.I connect the concept of recovery with the notion of empowerment,both of which emphasise the importance of agency and self-efficacy for people with mental illhealth.Finally,I consider how the concepts of empowerment and recovery can challenge both the public stigma held by peers in the community and the selfstigma of those with lived experiences.